title: Vismodegib: a hedgehog pathway inhibitor for locally advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinomas.
abstract: Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are the most common cancer in the United States, and the overwhelming majority of BCCs are the result of hedgehog pathway activation. While locally advanced and metastatic BCC are rare, currently available treatments remain limited and are often unsuccessful. Vismodegib inhibits a key regulatory protein in the hedgehog pathway and was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2012. This orally-administered medication offers a novel approach for treating locally advanced and metastatic BCC. The following review will address vismodegib's mechanism of action, published clinical trial data, and the questions that still remain unanswered about this new medication.
authors.forename: Joesph F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Sobanko
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Okman
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000813:Anilides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D017277:Drug Approval; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000188:drug therapy; D011725:Pyridines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D000813:Anilides; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; C538724:HhAntag691; D011725:Pyridines